To See the Sun: Fallout 3
by smileplease91
Summary: A nameless girl leaves Vault 34 at the young age of 16 in search of New Vegas. After discovering Goodsprings, she finds love and marries. However, she cannot forget her father that she left behind in the Vault. With Noah, she sets out to find her father.


Kari Kesterson

Creative Writing 2

3/25/11

To See the Sun

Ever since I could remember, I had always lived in Vault 34. It was quiet, dank, and lonely, despite the fact that my entire people lived in it with me. Everyone was solemn and quiet, and we mostly kept to ourselves. My people had taken shelter in the Vault before the War, and we had been in it ever since. The history of my people had changed from free, land-loving, and explosives-tinkering to silent, cooped up, and we were not allowed to use our explosives or powerful weapons at all. No, our Overseer, who had been proud of who we were, had dwindled away to a man full of fear and disgrace, and for us to at least try to use our explosions in a remote area of the Vault was not even conceivable.

My father, whose face was always so full of life, had aged significantly over the years of my growth. My mother was dead; she could not come to terms with the fact that our proud people would be holed up in a Vault, unable to express who we were. She ran away as we were entering the Vault, and we knew that when the War was over, there was no chance of seeing her alive ever again. I sometimes wondered if I went with her and died too, if it would be better than living in the Vault.

Even as a child, I was unhappy in the Vault. There was no room to play, no matter how hard someone tried. I had never seen the sun, and I would often look at my father's pictures of life before the War at the sun and dream of feeling it on my skin. I became determined to leaving the Vault once I turned sixteen, and I would spend hours reading about the outside world. My father knew what I was planning, and no matter how much he tried to stop me, I kept dreaming and researching. Days, months, years passed by, and soon, the age approached to when I would be leaving the Vault. My father promised to help me escape, and he guaranteed once I stepped outside the safety of the underground home, no one would follow me- I would be alone. That night, I prepared, and my father gave me his Cowboy Repeater he had cherished ever since he was a young boy along with some ammunition as a gift for my birthday. Afterwards, he showed me the way out, neither of us speaking a word during the entire process. Before he closed the door to the Vault, I looked back one last time at my father's smiling face, certain that it would be the final smile I would see from him.

I half expected the sun once I stepped outside, but I was surprised to see that it was still dark. My father had also given me a Pre-War map of the area, and he warned me that the land would probably have changed since then. I examined the map and decided to head to New Vegas, despite it being so far away. I did not care how long it took me. I was going to get as far away as I could from Vault 34 as I could. I walked and walked until the sun rose, and once it did, I paused for just a moment to let the warmth sink into my skin. The brightness hurt my eyes, but I did not care. I was so happy to have finally seen it- so happy, that I could not stop the tears from flowing. I cried. I cried because it was just so beautiful. I cried because I wanted my father to be with me. I cried because I was alone. After a moment of bittersweet joy, I dried my tears and resumed walking.

The longer the distance I traveled, the more I began to realize that my father was not only right about the land changing, but the people and the animals as well. Water and food that had not been affected by the radiation was scarce to be found, and if you absolutely needed to eat or drink, you were taking a huge risk of getting radiation sickness or death. Often, I would have to hide from Deathclaws, which were beasts that had razor-sharp claws and teeth and could run faster than a man could sprint; if it saw a person, the person had better say his or her prayers… There was no escaping. Feral ghouls and Nightcrawlers had been human before the War, but the radiation had changed them. All these, I had to avoid as I journeyed to New Vegas.

However, when I looked at my map, I noticed I had become turned around. I was way south, even farther away from New Vegas than when I had began my journey. I kept walking, trying to find my way back, and soon enough, I found my way to a little town called Goodsprings that mostly kept and bred Brahmin, which were mutated, two-headed cows that traders used to carry their load. The people there welcomed me warmly and helped me out as much as they could. I had been travelling nonstop for two months, and I was exhausted. I stayed the night there, gathering the strength to make it to New Vegas. While staying in the inn, I met a young man by the name of Noah, and we began to talk about our pasts and how and why we came to Goodsprings. Noah was seventeen, and had managed to get out of Vault 21 and make it to Goodsprings. He had no family; they, like my mother, could not cope with life in the Vault, so they stayed outside and died, too. Goodsprings was his home now, and despite the fact he was lonely, he was happy. I told him my story, and we spent the whole night talking. My one night stay became a week, and the week became the month. Within no time, Noah and I married.

We stayed in Goodsprings for another two months, but for some reason, I kept thinking about Vault 34 and my father. I talked to Noah about it, and we agreed to head back Northeast toward Vault 34 to check on things. We set out the next morning, equipped and ready for anything. We avoided the standard Deathclaws, but everything else, we were prepared. Nothing was going to stop me from seeing my father again.

The more we headed north, the more we heard about a group of settlers that had occupied the land just outside New Vegas. The people would not allow outsiders to come anywhere near their land. They had erected an iron fence around their home, and if anyone ventured within so many yards, they would blast them away with dynamite and explosives. They were given the title "Boomers," and they wore the name proudly. I looked at Noah, and we both had hope it was my people from Vault 34 and decided to head that way. After three weeks of traveling, we came across the area to find ruined houses and massive holes from the force of the explosions. Noah held onto my hand, and we zigzagged around the houses and avoided the blasts until we reached the gate. When I looked through the cracks behind it, I was thrilled. My people were behind the locked gate. They immediately recognized it was me and let me in; on the other hand, they said my husband could not enter. I convinced them that he was my husband and that he was a good man, so they granted him permission to enter.

Once inside, I immediately began to look for my father. People were asking me questions about where I had been and why I had escaped, but I ignored them. My speed became faster, and soon, I was running. Noah trailed behind me and looked as well. And then… I saw him. My father was standing next to a plane, examining it. The color in his face had returned, and he looked to be his old self again. I stopped running. I stopped walking. I stood still, my eyes once again filled with tears of so many mixed feelings. Noah softly wrapped his hand around mine and urged me to go to my father. I took a step, and I could feel my knees buckle beneath me. I could not hold back the tears any longer. Noah smiled warmly at me and got my father's attention; when Father saw me, he started to cry as well and ran toward me, his arms held open wide. He dropped to his knees in front of me and held me so tightly, I thought my lungs would burst.

We spent the day talking about everything and catching up. Father was impressed by Noah and was happy that I had found someone for me. He told me that about two weeks after we had left, the Overseer had been overthrown, and the people escaped and found the land they were now residing in. They fended for themselves and allowed no outsiders to venture inside the colony. He then told me of a plan that had me fearing for the lives of everyone outside Boomer territory: my people were now planning to destroy anyone and anything that was not associated with them by using their newly-found explosives; however, to fully prepare would take time, perhaps years. I could feel Noah's grip around my hand tighten, and I knew that he was just as scared as I was. I told Father that was my people were doing was wrong, but he insisted that they would be purging the world of infidelities.

Noah and I could not stay. We knew that life had changed for my people, and they were determined to perform their self-appointed task. I was heartbroken; I had finally found my father again, but he and all my people had changed so much and become so cold toward the world. Nothing was left for us here. I had to say good-bye once again, and this time, for good. Noah and I left that night in secrecy, my father once more helping me leave. Noah and I walked all night until the sun began to rise. I stopped, for a second time closing my eyes and letting my body absorb the heat of the sun. I felt the same way I had when I left the Vault six months ago. Noah stood still beside me, not saying a word. As devastated as I felt, I was and still am hopeful. I left the Vault with nothing and ended up with someone who loves me unconditionally after I came to believe that there was nothing out there for me. As long as I have Noah, and as long as the sun continues to rise, I will persevere onward with my hopes and wishes and await for a new day.


End file.
